World War Two Easter egg from 1939 set for auction

An 84-year-old cocoa ovum that survived wartime unbroken and uneaten is being auctioned successful May.

The ovum was fixed to nine-year-old Sybil Cook from Neath for Easter successful 1939.

With warfare clouds looming, her uncle advised her to ration it and savour each morsel.

Despite loving chocolate, she did not conscionable ration it, but dutifully kept and treasured it for her full life, until she died successful 2021.

After keeping it passim WW2 - September 1, 1939 to September 2, 1945 - Ms Cook kept it uneaten and unbroken for different 76 years.

"Mum loved beingness and chocolate," said girl Gill Bolter, 61, from Cardiff.

"With warfare looming her uncle said: 'You beryllium cautious with that my girl, determination mightiness not beryllium immoderate cocoa astir soon'.

"He told her to ration it. Amazingly, she was truthful disciplined and respectful to her elders she ne'er ate a azygous piece.

"When we asked mum however she'd managed to support the ovum for truthful long, she told america that having kept it each done the warfare it didn't look close to devour it."

When Sybil died astatine the property of 91 successful 2021, the Mary Mary Quite Contrary ovum successful bluish and achromatic insubstantial remained intact, implicit with a decorative plot country of a small miss with a watering can.

The container inactive bears her name, Sybil Cook, written successful pencil, and the twelvemonth 1939.

Now, arsenic a tribute to Sybil, her household person decided to portion with the Easter ovum to observe their mother's beingness and a peculiar household memory.

The 84-year-old ovum volition beryllium offered successful Hansons Auctioneers' May 18 to 23 antiques and collectors auction, with a usher terms of £600 to £800.

Ms Bolter added: "The ovum was precise precious to her. Having kept it harmless done her childhood, she took it with her erstwhile she near location to get joined successful 1955 and for 60 years had it tucked distant connected a support successful her bedroom.

"After we mislaid her, 1 of the attraction location nurses wrote a beauteous tribute. She said: 'I would connection her a portion of cocoa aft her evening medication. She'd ever grin mischievously astatine maine and say, 'Why not? It's the champion medicine aft all''.

"It was precise hard connected america each during Covid. Sadly, similar thousands of different families, for 18 months we kept successful interaction with play visits extracurricular the attraction location erstwhile rules allowed.

"But mum deteriorated successful aboriginal 2021 and sadly passed distant a week aft her 91st birthday. I inactive get upset astatine the representation of america trying to sing blessed day to her done a window.

"Her Easter ovum brings backmost blessed memories for america each including my daughter, her lone grandchild.

"Mum loved antiques shows connected TV and would person been thrilled to beryllium portion of this. It would beryllium beauteous if the ovum went to a depository alongside mum's wartime memories."

Charles Hanson, proprietor of Hansons Auctioneers, said: "The communicative surrounding this Easter ovum melted my heart. It's a fantastic reminder of wartime austerity, respectful obedience and a small miss who was truthful strict with herself she would not let herself the tiniest nibble of her favourite treat.

"Preservation by not eating a cocoa ovum for much than 80 years has made it valuable, though it's champion earlier day is good gone by its edible value, its commercialized worth and its memories and nostalgia lives on.

"Food rationing lasted for 14 years successful Britain, from 1940 until 1954 - astir 10 years aft the warfare ended. In 1946, erstwhile nutrient was conscionable arsenic abbreviated arsenic during the preceding years, breadstuff was added to the ration and the saccharine ration was halved.

"Sybil's ovum is simply a reminder of those hard days. She came from a procreation who understood hardship. They learned to cherish and admit the smallest things. That's a precise good quality trait to have."